After breaking Brett Favre’s 4-year-old record, NFL legends and current players — Favre included — congratulated the Broncos’ quarterback on his feat, while many others expressed their awe via Twitter. To wit:

BRETT FAVRE
“I want to say congratulations for breaking the touchdown record — I’m not surprised. You’ve been a wonderful player and I’ve enjoyed watching you play, I’ve enjoyed competing against you. I wish you a great success for the rest of the season and the rest of your career. But again, congratulations.”

FRAN TARKENTON
“Well Peyton, it’s official. Your ducks have crossed the end zone more than anybody else’s. But really, congratulations, nobody has ever played the quarterback position better than you have. It’s been a pleasure to sit back every Sunday and watch you play. People love to debate, ‘Who is the greatest quarterback, the greatest player?’ It’s impossible to compare across all the generations and eras. But I know this, nobody can ever leave Peyton Manning out of that discussion about who is the greatest quarterback. Congratulations, Peyton.”

The Broncos face a formidable 49ers team on Sunday in primetime, one that poses challenges for Denver on both ends of the field.

But the talk of the week — of the month, rather — has been Peyton Manning. And for good reason: The man has thrown 506 regular-season touchdowns and is only three shy of breaking Brett Favre’s all-time record (508). Manning could likely snap it Sunday, but no matter if its this weekend or next, he will break it.

Hoping to go to Sunday’s 49ers-Broncos game at Mile High? Prepare to shell out a lot of money.

According to SeatGeek.com, the average ticket price on the secondary market for Sunday’s game is $377, making it the most in-demand regular-season Broncos home game ever, topping Peyton Manning’s Denver debut on Sept. 9, 2012 against the Steelers ($360 average ticket price).

The primetime matchup is also the third-most expensive NFL game of the season, behind only Packers-Bears in Week 4 ($420 average ticket price) and Packers-Seahawks in Week 1 ($389). It’s also more expensive than three of the four home playoff games the Broncos have played since 2011.Read more…

Julius Thomas is off to a record start for the Broncos, scoring nine touchdowns to tie the league record for most by a tight end through the first five games.

With the chop block against the Cardinals and the “It’s so easy!” declaration against the Jets though, Thomas has spent more time defending himself than celebrating his accomplishments.

But he wants to set at least one thing straight about catching touchdowns:

“Contrary to my own statements, it’s not very easy. A lot of things have to go right,” he said Wednesday. “First you have to find a way to make a play to help out your team. A lot of work goes into it, a lot of effort throughout the year. A lot of guys just really getting after it and busting their butts to go make plays on the field. Sometimes you get a little confident in games, and you start thinking it’s easy. Then you get out to practice on Wednesday and Rahim (Moore) and T.J. (Ward) and Von (Miller) are doing their best to keep you from catching the stick route. It’s definitely not easy all the time.”Read more…

The Broncos are 4-1, Peyton Manning is on the verge of breaking Brett Favre’s all-time touchdown passing record, Julius Thomas is making it all look “so easy,” Von Miller is back to being Von Miller and … wait for it … wait for it …

The Broncos are now America’s favorite team.

That’s right. According to the latest Harris Poll, which surveyed 2,543 adults between September 10-17, Denver has ended Dallas’ six-year reign as the country’s preferred NFL team, moving up from No. 3 in 2013.

The Cowboys slipped to No. 4, while the Giants and Packers took the Nos. 2 and 3 spots, respectively. The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars tied as the least-favorite teams.

Peyton Manning and the Broncos lost to Seattle earlier this season. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

With the Seattle Seahawks losing for a second time this season — and at home, no less, to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday — they are no longer the Super Bowl favorites.

Once again, the Broncos are the favorites to win it all, as determined by the Westgate Las Vegas Super Book (formerly Las Vegas Hotel & Casino until name change last month). The Broncos have 7-2 odds to win Super Bowl XLIX, while the Seahawks are next at 9-2.Read more…

506: Career touchdown passes by Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who threw three in Sunday’s game against the Jets and is just three away from breaking Brett Favre’s all-time record.

15: Seconds remaining in the game when Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib scored off a 22-yard interception return.

9: Touchdown catches by Julius Thomas this season, the most by a tight end in NFL history through his team’s first five games. Thomas had two TD catches Sunday.

34: Career receiving touchdowns by Demaryius Thomas, whose 1-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter moved him past former Bronco and current Jet Eric Decker for the ninth most in franchise history.Read more…

Julius Thomas catches a touchdown pass from Peyton Manning in the third quarter. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Peyton Manning threw 506th career touchdown as the Broncos defeated the Jets, 31-17 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Here were some notable and not-so-notable moments from the Denver victory.

BESTS

Making history: Julius Thomas continued his breathtaking start. He caught his eighth touchdown just before half, an NFL record for a tight end through five games, breaking mark held by Mike Ditka (1963) and Antonio Gates (2010). Thomas added his ninth score in the second half. Rob Gronkowski holds the single-season record by touchdowns by a tight end at 17.

Hillman’s climb: Ronnie Hillman capitalized on his first start, rushing for 100 yards. He burst for 26 yards in the third quarter, the longest by a Broncos back this year. He fumbled, but the Broncos recovered.

Marshall takes over: With linebacker Danny Trevathan out with a knee injury, Brandon Marshall played well and called the defensive signals.

WORSTS

Trevathan out: Danny Trevathan led the Broncos in tackles in his season debut last week, but never received a chance Sunday. The weakside linebacker injured his left knee on the Jets’ second offensive play and did not return. He missed the first three games with a broken left shin bone.

Center of attention: Center Manny Ramirez struggled early before rebounding. He misfired on a snap, allowed a sack and was called for holding in the first half.

Too much yellow: The Broncos tied a season-high with 11 penalties and were penalized a season-high 101 yards. Officials flagged Lamin Barrow for a personal foul and ejected him for throwing a punch in the third quarter.Read more…

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY — Rex Ryan’s seat is not the only thing simmering at MetLife Stadium. Walk onto the turf, and it’s 10 degrees hotter.

The Broncos relished the warm temperatures. Original forecasts of rain have been ditched. It’s balmy, in the high 60s. The Jets are playing for relevance, if not Ryan’s job. And they can’t boast of full support from their fans. There are a lot of folks wearing orange.

Spending the last 24 hours here, Jets fans remain understandably pessimistic, traced to the awful play of quarterback Geno Smith. He leads the league in interceptions and turnovers. For the Jets to compete, they will look to run the ball, even with Smith at times, and keep Peyton Manning off the field.

I have been surprised at the amount of conversation about Manning breaking Brett Favre’s all-time touchdown record.

Manning needs six TDs. He has thrown at least six three times in his career and owns a career-high of seven. The Jets would be an unlikely opponent for Manning to make history. He’s 7-4 against New York with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Footnotes
Running back Ronnie Hillman signed autographs before first career start. His first veteran move was wearing Bose headphones in pregame, wisely avoiding a fine. Among other players signing autographs: Ben Garland, Michael Schofield, Mitch Unrein and Von Miller. … Manning needs 202 yards to tie Jake Plummer (11,631) for fourth most in Broncos history. … Emmanuel Sanders is eyeing history. He’s attempting to become the first Broncos receiver to record four straight 100-yard games. … DeMarcus Ware needs 1.5 sacks to tie Clyde Simmons for 16th on the NFL’s all-time list. … Miller has netted sacks in three consecutive games, the second longest in his career. … Tight end Julius Thomas leads the NFL with seven touchdowns, one ahead of the Packers’ Randall Cobb.

Peyton Manning needs only six touchdowns to snap Brett Favre’s career touchdown passing record (508), a feat that could come as soon as Sunday when the Broncos face the Jets at MetLife Stadium.

As Peyton closes in on the record, his father and idol to Favre, Archie Manning, joined The Press Box on Thursday to share his thoughts.

“We are proud of Peyton and we really feel blessed — I think Peyton feels blessed — that he’s still playing football,” Archie said. “He had a good run there in Indy, but four neck surgeries and we didn’t know, and for him, he worked hard and wanted to play again. I think the good Lord blessed him and allowed him to play again and put him in a good spot. So, yeah, we’re really proud.

“I got a text last Sunday from Fran Tarkenton, and Fran said — I don’t think Fran would mind me saying this — but Fran said, ‘My hero was Johnny Unitas, and Johnny threw 300 touchdowns. I was proud that I threw for 342, but it’s really special for Peyton to reach 500 touchdowns.’

“So we’re proud. He’s been fortunate to stay healthy and play with a lot of good people. I do laugh — he doesn’t do it much — but somebody started talking about all the people who had caught his touchdowns, and there are some guys on there that I had totally forgotten about. A tight end who had played for the Colts for one year or something like that. I see every game and I can’t remember.”Read more…

There were the expected questions: Could Sanders’ numbers ever come close to Decker’s? Could he be a viable replacement for Denver’s beloved receiver?

Although four games is a small sample size, Sanders has already soared to near the top of the receiving charts. In his first four games as a Bronco, he’s recorded 32 receptions for 435 yards (No. 6 in the NFL), while turning in three consecutive 100-yard receiving games to tie a franchise record.

Given the Jets’ paltry track record of late, it’s not out of the question that Manning could snap the record Sunday at MetLife Stadium. He’s thrown for five or more touchdowns in a game five times in his career.

But if he doesn’t do it Sunday, it’s likely he’ll break the record at home, against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Oct. 19, or against the Chargers the following.

Julius Thomas was called for a chop block penalty in Sunday’s game against Arizona. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

There are six different chop block rules written in the NFL rulebook. Here are the two in question regarding the penalty Broncos left tackle Ryan Clady and tight end Julius Thomas drew while blocking Arizona defensive end Calais Campbell that caused Cardinals coach Bruce Arians to make claims of dirty play following the Broncos’ 41-20 win Sunday.

Here’s the definition of the usual chop block on a forward pass (Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning threw a 77-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas on the play that was nullified because of the penalty):

Player A1 chops a defensive player while the defensive player is physically engaged above the waist by the blocking attempt of Player A2.

This was not the case Sunday. Thomas threw his cut block on Campbell, whose right knee gave out before he made contact with Clady. In fact, Campbell seemed to fall into Clady after his knee went out. Clady and Campbell’s helmet’s collided, but Clady pulled his hands back, as if he knew contact meant chop block.

Here’s the rulebook definition of a Chop Block on Pass (with lure):

On a forward pass play, Player A1 chops a defensive player while Player A2 confronts the defensive player in a pass-blocking posture but is not physically engaged with the defensive player.

This was the infraction the Broncos’ duo committed. Clady was in the act of blocking Campbell, when Thomas went low.

Sanders shines: Emmanuel Sanders fell into the Broncos’ lap as a free-agent signee. They knew Sanders provided speed. His hands have been breathtaking. He made a diving grab in the second quarter that initially was ruled a touchdown. Instead of a 77-yard score it became a 30-yard gain, but didn’t take away from the grab.

Von superb: Linebacker Von Miller continues to provide relentless pressure. He netted a sack for the third consecutive game. He generally gave right tackle Bobby Massie fits and knocked Drew Stanton out of the game with a possible concussion.

Welker record: Wes Welker set a record for most career catches by an undrafted free agent in NFL history, breaking Rod Smith’s mark.

WORSTS

Campbell shines: Calais Campbell, who netted 57 career sacks and averaged 22 points a game as a senior at Denver South, haunted the Broncos in his return. Campbell, hurt later in the game on a chop block, made a remarkable read and athletic play to intercept a Peyton Manning screen pass. The bad news? Manning prevented the pick six, registering his 11th-career tackle.

Running game woes: The Broncos running game remained a rumor in the first half. Multiple no gains on first downs from Montee Ball elicited boos. The Broncos had four rushing yards in the first half.

Dropsies: The Cardinals dropped eight passes, helping out a Broncos’ secondary that struggled in the first half.Read more…

Peyton Manning stands on history’s welcome mat. He carries a football in his right arm, and with one flick of the wrist, will enter immortality. Manning’s next touchdown pass will be his 500th, a club which includes Brett Favre as its only existing member. Favre owns 509 touchdowns, meaning Manning should soon hold the all-time record.

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.